Joker (2019)
| running time = 122 min. | country = USA | language = English | budget = $55,000,000 Box Office Mojo; Joker (2019); Title summary and release info. | gross revenue = $1,068,927,373 | preceded by = | followed by = }} Joker is an American feature film of the drama and psychological thriller genres. It is loosely based and/or inspired by the character of The Joker, as seen in Batman comic book titles published by DC Comics. The movie was written and directed by Todd Phillips and co-written by Scott Silver. It was produced by Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, and BRON Studios. It premiered theatrically in the United States on October 4th, 2019. Plot .]] Arthur Fleck is an emotionally disturbed man who lives in a small rundown apartment in Gotham City with his aging mother, Penny. He has a neurological condition that causes him to launch into uncontrollable, and ofttimes inappropriate laughter during times of anxiety or nervousness. Because of this, Arthur is a bit of a social outcast, and the only work he can find is that of a clown who is hired out by an agency for special functions. Living and working in Gotham does not come easily for Arthur. He is seeing a therapist who has him writing a journal, which is filled with mad ramblings, implications of suicide and pictures of naked women. One day while twirling a sandwich board for a company's Going Out of Business sale, he is accosted by several youths who steal his sign and run off with it. Arthur pursues them, but is cornered in an alley and mercilessly beaten. The following day, a co-worker named Randall gives him a .38 special so he can protect himself. s on a subway. No good can come of this.]] One evening, Arthur is returning home on a subway, still in clown makeup, when he sees three intoxicated businessmen talking loud and antagonizing a young woman. This causes Arthur's nerve reflex to kick-in and he begins laughing uncontrollably. The three drunk businessmen take their attention away from the young woman and now focus on him. They attack Arthur and begin beating him up, similar to what happened to him in the alley with the group of thugs. Arthur pulls out the .38 and shoots two of the men in self defense. The third tries to flee, but now the hunted has become the hunter, and Arthur chases after him and finishes him off. News of the three murders quickly sweeps across the city as these men were all employees of Thomas Wayne - Gotham's favorite son, who happens to be putting his hat into the political in a bid to run for mayor. But there are those who sympathize with the unidentified "clown" killer, and this provokes a "Kill the Rick" movement across the city, with many residents from low-income neighborhoods donning clown masks and starting riots. Arthur tries to avoid the media blitz surrounding his actions and continue on with his life. He accidentally brings the .38 with him while visiting the children's ward of a hospital. The gun falls onto the floor and when word of this reaches his employers, Arthur is promptly fired. Arthur tries to make a little money by doing comedy stand-up at an open-mic event at a local club. However, his anxiety makes him start laughing during his own routine and he bombs. Somebody manages to capture the awkward moment on video and sends it to Murray Franklin, who is a late night talk show host in the vein of Johnny Carson or David Letterman. Murray is amused by the tape and has his people find Arthur so they can invite him to make an appearance on the show. says, "Put on a Happy Face!"]] As all of this is going on, Penny Fleck, who has been quite ill, finds her condition worsening. Arthur finds a letter that she has written, implying she once had an affair with Thomas Wayne and that Arthur is Wayne's son. Arthur goes to Wayne Manor in the hopes of connecting with his potential father. At the gates of the estate, he sees a young boy named Bruce, whom Arthur believes might be his half-brother. He tries to make Bruce smile by performing his clown routine, but the family's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, comes to the gate and chases Arthur away. Arthur does eventually come into contact with Thomas Wayne and tells him who he is, but Wayne denies being his father, stating that Penny adopted him back when she worked for the Wayne family. Suspecting that his mother might also suffer from mental illness, Arthur manages to procure thirty-year-old medical records from Arkham Asylum, which reveals that Penny had been committed for gross abuse and negligence of her son. These are all details that Arthur has clearly repressed. Shattered by the fact that everything he thought he knew about his mother was a lie, Arthur goes back and kills her by suffocating her with a pillow. Arthur finally makes his appearance on The Murray Franklin Show. He has Murray introduce him as "Joker", and he is dressed in a purple suit and has died his hair green. Addressing the audience, Arthur tells off-color jokes and makes some pointed statements about the treatment of the mentally ill. He finally confesses on live television that he was the one who murdered the three Wayne Industries employees. He then pulls out his gun and shoots Murray twice in the head. Arthur flees into the streets as clown-faced supporters begin rioting. One such rioter corners the Wayne family in an alley as they are leaving a movie theater. He shoots Thomas Wayne, then Martha Wayne, leaving their young son Bruce behind as the sole survivor. Arthur Fleck is apprehended and taken to Arkham Asylum. He consults with a psychiatrist, whom he presumably kills after their meeting and begins running and dancing through the halls as orderlies chase after him. Cast Notes & Trivia * The Joker was created by comic book writer Bill Finger and graphic artist Bob Kane. He first appeared in [[Batman 1|''Batman #1]], released in the Spring of 1940. * Production on Joker began on September 10th, 2018. Principal filming concluded on December 3rd, 2018. The movie was filmed in The Bronx, Harlem, and Manhattan in New York City, New York. Some scenes were shot in Trenton and Jersey City, New Jersey. IMDB; Joker (2019); Filming locations. * Joker had a domestic opening of $96,202,337. * Joker was released on Blu-ray in 4K Ultra HD, which included a digital download option by Warner Bros. on January 7th, 2020. Amazon.com; Joker (2019); 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital. * There are a total of sixty-two credited cast members in this film. * The central setting of this film is the fictional Gotham City in the year 1981. The year is indicated at the end of the film on a movie marquis featuring the comedy film Zorro: The Gay Blade. * Executive producer Richard Baratta makes a cameo appearance in the film as a member of the Murray Franklin Band. * Joaquin Phoenix is the seventh actor to offer forth a live-action iteration of the Joker character. In the 1960s Batman television series, the Joker was played by actor Cesar Romero. In the 1989 Batman feature film, he was played by Jack Nicholson. In the 2005 movie The Dark Knight, he was played by the late Heath Ledger. The Joker also made a brief appearance in the pilot episode of the Birds of Prey television series and was voiced by Mark Hamill. On the FOX Network television series Gotham, a proto-Joker character appeared in season two and was played by Cameron Monaghan. In the 2016 feature film Suicide Squad, the Joker was played by Jared Leto. * Arthur Fleck is the third interpretation of The Joker character to be given a proper name. In the 1989 Batman feature film, the character was identified as Jack Napier. On the TV series Gotham, he was identified as Jerome Valeska. * The costume that Arthur Fleck wears at the end of the film is stylistically similar to the one worn by Cesar Romero in the 1960s Batman television series. * The character of Doctor Stoner is taken from the comics. He is actually a foe of the Eric & Linda Strauss iteration of the Doctor Fate character, though he does have a connection to Arkham Asylum. The character was created by writer J.M. DeMatteis and artist Keith Giffen and first appeared in ''Doctor Fate'' #1 in July, 1987. * On the October 12th, 2019 episode of Saturday Night Live, guest host David Harbour did a sketch parodying the trailer for Joker. Rather than playing the Joker however, he played Oscar the Grouch, witnessing the crime, decadence and corruption running rampant throughout Sesame Street. * In this film, the Waynes are seen leaving a movie theater that was screening Zorro: The Gay Blade, released in 1981. In the Silver Age continuity of Batman, the Waynes had just left after seeing 1940's The Mark of Zorro. Explicit content * Female rear nudity: Arthur Fleck keeps a journal, which contains magazine photographs of nude women. Female rear nudity is presented. * Female topless nudity: Arthur Fleck keeps a journal, which contains magazine photographs of nude women. Female topless nudity is presented. * Profanity: Strong language used moderately throughout the film. Repeated usage of the words "shit" and "fuck". Recommendations External Links * * * * Joker at Wikipedia * * * * References Keywords 1980s | 1981 | Arkham Asylum | Automobile accident | Bus | Businessman | Butler | Clown | Detective | Doctor | Gotham City | Gotham City Police Department | Gunshot victims | Hallucinations | Handgun | Hospital | Mask | Mayor | Mental health facility | News broadcaster | Paramedic | Pistol | Police car | Police officer | Profanity | Psychiatrist | Psychopath | Rats | Reporter | Shot in the head | Smoking | Stabbings | Subway | Suffocation | Taxicab | Wayne Manor